The distribution of this story is for personal use only. Any other form of distribution is prohibited without the consent of the author.

***

How did the Killing Curse originate? And why
does it sound so much like "Abracadabra"?

"All right, now, boys
and girls… it's playtime!"

"YEAAHHHH!!!!"

"And guess what we're going
to play today, children!"

"What?" "I don't know."

"Well, do you know what day
it is?"

"I know, Miss Bessie! It's
Hallowe'en!"

"Very good, Mary! And because
today is Hallowe'en, we're going to play Witches and Wizards!"

"YEAAHHHH!!!"

"And everybody gets a pointy
hat and a magic wand!"

"Ooh!" "Hey, I want that
one!" "No, gimme!"

"Children! Don't fight! …"

(Much commotion, finally
settling down)

"Okay, children! Does anybody
know what wizards say when they wave their magic wands?"

"Ooh! I know, Miss Bessie!"

"Yes, Bobby?"

"They say… 'Hey, everybody,
I'm a wizard!' "

(Much laughter and further
commotion, finally settling down once again)

"Noooo, Bobby, I think you're
being silly. It was a good guess, though! But what witches and wizards
say when they wave their magic wands is, 'Abracadabra!' Can you
say that? Try it, boys and girls!"

"ABBA-CADABBA!"

"ABBY-CADABBY!"

"AVVER-CADAVER!"

"Very good, children, very
good! Now, next, let's try… But wait a minute… Where's Tommy? Have you
seen him, Jane?"

"Oh, he's probably off sulking
again. Shall I look for him?"

"Yes, please do, Jane. You
seem to be the only one that can handle him. Sometimes I worry about
that boy…"

"Well, Bess, we do see a
lot of troubled children in this line of work…"

"Yes, I know, Jane, and I've
seen a lot of them over the years, and so have you, but Tommy… I've
never seen such an angry little boy. It frightens me to think what might
become of him someday, it really does."

"Yes, well, I'll go look
and see if I can talk him into joining the group."

(A couple minutes later,
a woman finds a small boy in a corner, looking defiant.)

"Tommy? It's Miss Jane. Come
with me, please."

(Grumpily) "Why should
I?"

"Come along with the other
boys and girls. We're all playing Witches and Wizards!"

"THEY'RE not witches
and wizards. I hate them. I hate them all!"

(After a few minutes of
cajoling)

"Okay, Tommy, now here's
your wizard's hat…"

"Don't want a hat."

"Tommy, don't stomp on your
hat! Tommy, that was bad! Do you hear me?!"

(Glowering) "Yes,
Miss Jane."

"Now here's your magic wand,
Tommy. You can wave it and say 'Abracadabra'!"

"No."

"Say 'Abracadabra', Tommy!"

"NO!!!"

"Tommy, won't you please
say 'Abracadabra'?"

(A moment's silence, then…)

"AVADA KEDAVRA!!!"

The Daily
Hanging
Hangleton, Nottingham
November 3, 1931

Obituaries

Jane Wright (1879-1931)

Miss Jane Wright, Deputy
Headmistress of Saint Athaliah's Home for abandoned children in Little
Hangleton, passed away on Tuesday afternoon in the playground of her
beloved orphanage. She is survived only by her aged parents, James and
Lydia Wright of Bristol. Miss Wright never married, choosing instead
to devote her life to the less fortunate children of Hangleton and its
environs.

The cause of death was
at first thought to be a heart attack. However, autopsy results were
inconclusive and found no apparent cause of death whatsoever. Orphanage
officials had no further comment.

//

Write a review! PLEASE
NOTE: The purpose of reviewing a story or piece of
art at the Sugar Quill is to provide comments that will
be useful to the author/artist. We encourage you to put
a bit of thought into your review before posting. Please
be thoughtful and considerate, even if you have legitimate
criticism of a story or artwork. (You may click here
to read other reviews of this work).
* = Required fields

*Sugar Quill Forums
username:

*Sugar Quill Forums
password:

If you do not have
a Sugar Quill Forums username, please register.
Bear in mind that it may take up to 72 hours for your account
to be approved. Thank you for your patience!

*Comment:

The Sugar Quill was created by Zsenya and Arabella. For
questions, please send us an Owl!